Kawakami: How Giants’ future suddenly is colored by this ‘Cubs Era’

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San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey (28) slides safely into second base on a double against Chicago Cubs’ Javier Baez (9) in the ninth inning for Game 1 of the NLDS at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Ill., on Friday, Oct. 7, 2016. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

There was a lot of heavy stuff going on during that dramatic game last Oct. 11 at AT&T Park.

A lot of significance right then, maybe a lot more consequence into the extended future for two powerful franchises, literally passing in the night.

A lot of everything.

Obviously and urgently, there was the Giants’ bullpen trying — and failing, utterly — to close out the ninth inning of Game 4 of the NLDS.

Directly and immediately, it was the end of the Giants’ season, and their even-year magic, when the bullpen gave up a 5-2 lead and the Cubs moved onto the NLCS with a 6-5 victory.

For history’s sake, this was about the Cubs grinding through the postseason to ultimately end their 108-year championship drought.

And now, a few months later, from the Giants’ long-term perspective, that series, game and inning feel like the beginning of something larger than anything the Giants have had to face since their three-title run began in 2010.

Basically, what the Giants (and all other teams) are looking at now: The dawning of a potential Cubs Era in the National League and baseball as a whole.

Which might not be too fun for anybody else, especially including the team that got used to winning World Series championships every other year.

This doesn’t mean Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner and Bruce Bochy can’t lead the Giants to another title this season or the next few seasons; they still have a great manager, some great players, a lot of money, and an aggressive front office.

But it will be geometrically more difficult now that the Cubs are established and aiming for more, and it all shifted with that blown ninth inning, because …

• The Cubs handed the Giants their first playoff elimination in the Bochy-Posey-Bumgarner period.

In October, from 2010-on, the Giants knew that if they just stayed alive in a series, they’d find a way to outlast the opponent. You know: “Championship blood.”

Until last October.

• The Cubs are young, strong, minting money and run by very smart people — and seem like a franchise poised to go on a big run.

They’re like what the Dodgers want to be.

• Oh, and there are the Dodgers, too, who have all that money and now finally look like they’re about to build something lasting.

• This is happening while the Giants’ core pieces are aging a bit and there are no indications that a new superstar bunch is waiting in the wings.

Yes, it’s a little bit of a table-turner for the Giants, who have been the younger, hungrier postseason team for much of the last decade.

The Giants knocked off the powerhouse (but aging) Phillies in 2010, beat St. Louis a couple of times and experienced this golden period while the Dodgers were in a dull period.

But the Giants never won more than 94 games in any of those seasons, and though Washington seemed like a potential rising mini-dynasty, that still hasn’t happened (and may never).

After October, the Cubs do feel like a budding mini- or maximum-dynasty — they won 103 games last season, most in the majors since St. Louis won 105 in 2004 (and then the Cardinals got swept in the World Series by Boston).

In addition, the Chicago front office has the brainpower, will and money to fill whatever void necessary, such as the move to acquire closer Wade Davis last offseason.

Comparatively, Posey turns 30 this month, Hunter Pence is 33, Brandon Crawford is 30, new-addition Mark Melancon will be 32 this month, Johnny Cueto is 31 and can opt-out of his contract this season, and the Giants finally had to re-do the back end of their bullpen.

Bumgarner is still only 27 but will be coming up on a monster contract soon enough.

This is not just a day-to-day challenge for the Giants, it’s an existential threat.

I’m sure all of the franchise’s top officials understand it.

I don’t think it changes how they approach this season — they’re good enough to take another swing at Chicago, for sure, and they almost had the Cubs last season.

But it probably filters into how the Giants plan for 2018, 2019 and beyond, and how they value 2017, as maybe one of their last chances to maximize the Posey/Bumgarner era just as the Cubs begin to flex their muscles.

Nobody should think that the Giants’ window has officially closed, but what happens if the Cubs just slam it shut themselves?